Tiled surfaces provide durability, a wide range of appearances, and an assortment of textures suited for many applications. A tiled surface commonly comprises a matrix of pre-cut pieces that have been permanently secured to an underlying support surface. The individual pieces are spaced apart and the spacing is typically filled with grout. The grout gives stability to the matrix of tiles and helps keep the individual pieces from working loose over time.
Although grout has structural importance, grout may also be used to add visual impact to a tiled surface. Grout comes in many colors and can contrast with, or otherwise complement, the tiles themselves. Grout not only makes tiled surfaces more durable, it makes them more attractive, as well.
Unfortunately, although tiled surfaces can be durable and attractive, they can also be difficult to keep clean. While tile pieces may be cleaned with broad, sweeping motions, grouted areas are usually recessed and not cleaned so easily. Whereas tile pieces may be cleaned with a mop or sponge, grout cleaning typically requires the use of a scrub brush and the application of increased pressure. As a result, cleaning the grout in a large tiled surface can be a difficult, time-consuming job. Moreover, cleaning the grout in a tiled floor can lead to back or knee injuries, due to the stooped-over or kneeling postures that are commonly adopted.
Although special cleaners exist that attack the type of dirt or mildew that accumulates on grout, these cleaners do not change the terrain of tiled surface: the grouted surfaces remain recessed. The existence of specialized cleaners may make dirt or mildew easier to remove, but actual removal still requires methodical scrubbing.
Stiff-bristled scrubbing brushes cooperate with grout cleaning chemicals to aid in the dirt and mildew removal process. However, tiled surfaces that span large areas are difficult to clean even with these brushes. This is especially true when painted or otherwise-decorated tiles are used. These ornate finishes are often delicate and require extra care to avoid scratches or premature wear.
The grout cleaning process is made somewhat easier by specialized brushes shaped to fit into individual lines of grout. To be effective, however, the heads of these brushes must be appropriately sized for the grout lines to be cleaned; a brush head that is too wide will not effectively clean narrow lines of grout. Even when an appropriately-sized brush is chosen, cleaning the multitude of grout lines associated with most tiled surfaces is a daunting task. The lines of grout must still be cleaned one at a time.
Simply adding multiple brush heads to an existing brush does not adequately address the problem of cleaning several lines of grout simultaneously. Since the distance between grout lines is based upon tile size, a unique brush would be required for each type of tile available. Even within a given tiled surface, rectangular pieces would need a second multiple-head brush to clean height-aligned and width-aligned grout lines effectively. The possibility for surfaces that have both broad tiles and narrow tiles makes brush requirements even more complicated.
Furthermore, proper grout line width is a function of the type of surface to be tiled next. For example, tiled walls found in most bathrooms typically use grout lines that are narrower than most tiled floors. As a result, the appropriate number of bristles can also vary from one surface to the next.
What is needed is a brush that includes advantages of the known devices, while addressing the shortcomings they exhibit. The brush should have multiple heads to clean several lines of grout simultaneously. The spacing between the brush heads should be adjustable to accommodate different tile sizes within a given tiled surface. The brush should include removable bristles that may be replaced as needed, due to wear, and the individual brush assemblies should be customizable to clean grout lines of different widths. The brush should also be mountable on an extension pole to allow floor-tile-cleaning with proper posture.